A fucking subpoena! I got a fucking subpoena in the mail –a court summons for the case against me! They do not even have evidence put together yet, and here we fucking go! My head is spinning as I sift through the mail. I could punch a hole in the wall. My arm is back in my sling now after the crazy night I had had with Sylvia at the movies; I had woken up this morning with a serious pain and had to pop an extra pain pill just to get out of bed, but I am managing. This, however, is about to send me over the edge.

I call my lawyer, but this is news to him. He sounds like a shaky idiot as I talk to him about my displeasure of having had heard about this through the mail rather than through him. He apologizes, and he says he’s going to figure out how this happened. Surely there is not any evidence against me that could possibly make up a case. Sure, this is just as a sort of meditation thing –a desperate attempt by some jackasses hoping to settle outside of court with me to get a good payout, but I am not having any of that shit. My lawyer sounds panicked as he promises to get back to me, not making me feel any better about the situation.

For the next hour, I pace back and forth hoping for a quick phone call back from my lawyer to tell me that it was just some big misunderstanding, but I don’t ever receive a call. I realize I need some advice from a third party, and unfortunately, the first person I think of is Éclair. Éclair, before becoming a young self-made billionaire, had been through law school. She had been doing really well as far as I know, but she never took her bar exam because her business had taken off. Against my better judgment, I shoot Éclair a text asking her if she is home. She sends back a flirty wink and tells me to come on by.

I call my driver, and while I’m waiting, I gather some legal papers –all that I have on me currently. Despite mine and Éclair’s differences, she had always had my back when it came to things like this. My driver arrives, and we head to Éclair’s house. She lives on a decent sized property that is fairly private. I would not call it a mansion, but it’s fairly close. I prefer my bachelor pad apartment. She is at the door waiting for me, and she kindly smiles and waves at my driver. She’s always been really personal with her employees, which is something I admire about her. She knows the name of every janitor at every one of her branches, which is a lot more than what I can say about myself. I would call that a good employee that she could tell you the first and last name of the door hop and the fact that the man has a wife and two sons. Considering that she has an employee list with thousands of names on said list, I have always been impressed by that. I do good to remember that my driver’s first name is Louis. I’m working on that, though.

My driver departs; I told him I would be a while. I have so much shit I want to ask her about. We get in the door, and she is already all over me. I’m temporarily blinded by the sheer amount of pink and silver that floods her home, so it takes me a moment to get my bearings straight. “Not today, Éclair,” I say, and she rolls her eyes –frustrated. I sigh, “I’m sorry. I just have a lot on my mind, and you know I’m seeing someone.”

“Sure.” She says, “That Sylvia woman, right? Are you two exclusive now?”

“Well…” I think about the amazing night I had with Sylvia, but I know deep down the two of us are still just in that infatuation stage, “Not exactly, but-”

Éclair laughs and slaps me on my ass, “Whatever you say, sweetie. What has my favorite sex doll come to talk to me about today?” She bypasses me and heads into the kitchen. I follow.

“I’m serious.” I say, “Éclair, I need some legal advice.”

“I see.” She sighs and sits herself down in her breakfast nook. She waves her hand, inviting me to join. “I was really hoping you just wanted to come try out that sex swing I told you about.”

My dick goes hard almost immediately, and I’m thankful we’re sitting down. I don’t want her to know she’s turning me on right now. I have some serious stuff I need to talk to her about, and she is always more than happy to get me off my game to try to convince me to sell my company or to just toy with me sexually. “I got a subpoena in the mail this morning.” I say nervously, “That lawsuit is being put together before the cops can even test the supplements. I’m freaking out, Éclair, and I could really use a friend right now.”

She rolls her eyes, lights a cigarette, and then snatches the paperwork from me and begins to skim through it. “Your lawyer sucks.” She says upright, “My first advice? Fire his ass.” She stands and tosses the paperwork back down on the table. She disappears for a moment –she’s off in her home office, I believe because I can hear her shelves being opened and closed as she searches for something. She returns shortly and tosses a business card my way, “The guy you hired has never done anything like this before. Trust me; I would know. He’s never represented a CEO or a company. You want this woman, here. She’s the best of the best, and she’ll get you out trouble if there is a way. She’s used to bigger name clients like yourself.”

I smile, “Thanks.” I store the card away in my pocket.

“What’s going on, James?” Éclair asks, “Surely there is nothing in those organic products of yours you guys released, right? I mean, this is all going to turn out to be a bunch of bullshit, right? Or do you know something you’re not telling me?”

I can’t help myself. I tell her about the rat poisoning Eddie found and how the cops are probably going to be finding it soon too. “I don’t know what happened. I mean, how the hell does rat poison get into my supplements?”

Éclair puts out her cigarette; she looks really concerned, “Damn it, James.” She says, “Do you think someone is trying to fuck you over?”

I’m not sure. I don’t know what to say to her. Is there anyone out there who really hates me that much? With all the shit going on in the media right now and all the stress from this ordeal, I almost wish Éclair would offer to buy up my business again. I would probably consider it right now, but she is treading lightly and actually trying to not hit me while I’m down. She puts her hand on top of mine and offers me a sad smile. “Thank you,” I say although I’m not sure what I’m thinking her for. Just being there, I suppose.

“Of course.” She says. “Anytime, James.”